Hovering Hawks

I mentioned last October - http://mombowe.blogspot.com/2015/10/handy-andy.html - that the Big Thunder Mountain Ranch petting zoo, barbecue and jamboree were permanently closing earlier this year to make way for Disneyland’s new 14-acre Star Wars-themed attraction. Last fall we asked what would become of the friendly little goats, pigs, poultry and other farm animals at the petting zoo. We were told they’d be “going home with cast members.” This only raised more questions. Don’t most cast members live in rather small pet-free apartments? Would they put a leash on porky and walk him onto the cast member bus? Or would he leave in a take-away bag with extra sauce? It wasn’t until recently I heard the rest of the story. The cast members in question are also members of a family that owns a ranch not far from Anaheim. The animals aren’t getting as much attention there as they’re used to, but they’re not finger-licking good, either.

Four Simplicity Blocks

“Work is an antidote for anxiety, an ointment for sorrow, and a doorway to possibility. Whatever our circumstances in life, my dear brethren, let us do the best we can and cultivate a reputation for excellence in all that we do. Let us set our minds and bodies to the glorious opportunity for work that each new day presents. When our wagon gets stuck in the mud, God is much more likely to assist the man who gets out to push than the man who merely raises his voice in prayer—no matter how eloquent the oration. President Thomas S. Monson put it this way: “It is not enough to want to make the effort and to say we’ll make the effort. … It’s in the doing, not just the thinking, that we accomplish our goals. If we constantly put our goals off, we will never see them fulfilled.’” – President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Capital T

Thirty-five years ago today - Friday the thirteenth – shortly after 5:00 a.m., residents of Louisville, Kentucky woke to the sounds of horrific explosions. City streets buckled inward, cars and manhole covers flew into the air, walls collapsed and toilets turned into raw sewage fountains. In the weeks that followed they learned Ralston-Purina had been using hexane gas to extract oil from soybeans. The containment system that was meant to recycle the gas back into the plant malfunctioned, dumping massive amounts of hexane into the city’s sewers. A spark from a car’s catalytic converter set off the explosion, and left much of Old Louisville believing the world was coming to an end. Two miles of sewer were completely destroyed. Water lines were severed in the blast, leaving residents without running water for weeks. It was a ghastly mess, but there were no fatalities. Not such an unlucky day after all.

Twenty-five Dragons' Heads

“Let reverence for the law be breathed by every American mother to the lisping babe that prattles on her lap. Let it be taught in the schools, in the seminaries, and in the colleges. Let it be written in primers, in spelling books and almanacs. Let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in legislative halls, and enforced in courts of justice. And in short, let it become the political religion of the nation. And let the old and the young, the rich and the poor, the grave and the gay, of all sexes, and tongues, and colors, and conditions, sacrifice unceasingly at its altar. And let us strive to deserve, as far as mortals may, the continued care of Divine Providence, trusting that in future national emergencies He will not fail to provide us the instruments of safety and security.” – Abraham Lincoln

Frame

Ask almost anyone who Robert Fulton was, and the most common (if not entirely accurate) answer you’ll get is, “inventor of the steamboat.” Fulton was born in Pennsylvania in 1765. As a young man he studied portraiture and landscape painting in Europe. He also studied French, German, chemistry and mathematics. While abroad, he became fascinated with canal construction and with shipbuilding – underwater shipbuilding. In 1804 he tested the first successful submarine which he’d built for the British Navy. The following year, after the Battle of Trafalgar, England lost interest in Fulton and he returned to the Americas. On February 11, 1809, Fulton patented an efficient, reliable ship that used a special British steam engine. His wasn’t the first steamboat patent by a long shot. Like Henry Ford, Fulton’s genius was not invention, but adapting inventions to fit the marketplace. He didn’t give us the steamboat; he made steam travel a reality.

Sixteen Dragons' Heads

Some years ago we noticed a couple in hysterics at Disneyland’s Main Gate. They’d bought day passes at Disney California Adventures without realizing how small the park is, how many rides were down, or that DCA would close early that day. The cast member bought their sob story (or wanted to keep the peace) and let them visit Disneyland after the other park closed. Nice, huh? Except we’d met this couple earlier that day. They’re travel agents from Henderson. They KNEW DCA is a third the size of Disneyland. They knew which rides were down and when each park closed. And they knew how to get two parks for the price of one. Please don’t try this trick; it’s despicable. If you lie and cheat to get into the happiest place on earth, you’re missing the whole point.  You’ll spoil things for yourself and eventually everyone else. In the long run, honesty really is the best policy.

Five and Dime Quilt

Rochester New York lies on the southern shore of Lake Ontario where it receives plenty of precipitation year-round. Six months of the year (at least) it comes down in the form of snow. An average of four days a year the temperature dips below zero (Fahrenheit) there, and odds are all four of those days will hit in early February. So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Rochester tends to go a little stir crazy at this time of year. One snowy Saturday morning in Rochester, February 1966, Florence Rappaport’s six children were suffering from cabin fever. She decided to shake things up by serving ice cream for breakfast. It was such a hit they made it an annual family tradition. Florence’s children shared their odd holiday with friends in college, and her grandchildren made Ice Cream for Breakfast Day an international celebration. I might celebrate with vanilla ice cream on a waffle, with warm apple pie filling.